Lamp shade construction

ABSTRACT

A lamp shade formed of a frame or cage having upper and lower cage rings. The rings are joined by a plurality of generally Vshaped fixture members which cooperate with one another to form a plurality of windows for receipt and removable retention of translucent flat plates or panels. Upon assembly of the plates within the windows, the shade has a configuration which is generally cylindrical as distinguished from generally polyhedral.

United States Patent [54] LAMP SHADE CONSTRUCTION 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 240/108, 240/108A [51] lnt.Cl F2lv H04 [50] Field of Search 240/108,

2,829,245 4/1958 Levings 240/108 FOREIGN PATENTS 5,305 4/1916 Great Britain 108/ Primary Examiner-Samuel S. Matthews Assistant ExaminerRichard L. Moses Attorney-Silverrnan and Cass ABSTRACT: A lamp shade formed of a frame or cage having upper and lower cage rings. The rings are joined by a plurality of generally V-shaped fixture members which cooperate with one another to form a plurality of windows for receipt and removable retention of translucent flat plates or panels. Upon [56] References Cited assembly of the plates within the windows, the shade has a UNITED STATES PATENTS configuration which is generally cylindrical as distinguished 1,903,463 4/1933 Kock 240/108 from generally polyhedral.

LAMP SHADE CONSTRUCTION SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a novel construction for a decorative lamp shade comprised of an otherwise open wire frame or cage of generally cylindrical or frustum configuration having a plurality of circumferentially arranged windows and a flat plate or panel of glass, plastic or other suitable rigid material removably secured in each such window to provide a decorative light diffusion lamp shade.

It has been known to make lamp shades or fixtures utilizing an otherwise open wire frame in which panels or plates oflight diffusion material such as glass are secured on the frame to achieve a decorative lamp shade. Such prior lamp shades have had a generally polyhedral appearance such as taught in Bullock Pat. No. 2,670,431 or Levings Pat. No. 2,829,245. Further, it has been characteristic of prior lamp shade frames to be constructed of a large number of parts including hinges and brackets for securing the plate or panel in the frame for establishing the light-diffusing character for the shade. For purposes of economical manufacture and greater diversity of decorative design, it is desirable to provide a lamp shade frame which can be used universally with minor modification in dimension for achieving a lamp shade construction capable of greater diversification in appearance, decoration, projection and size.

It is also desirable to avoid lamp shade structures of such prior art constructions in which the plate or panel was either difficult to install on the frame or difficult to remove from the frame for replacement in the event of its breakage or scratching or otherwise marring thereof. Further, for economical manufacture, it is desirable to have a lamp shade which permits speedy and facile installation and replacement of the plates or panels.

Because of the special character of lamp shades used both for table model lamps and hanging fixture lamps in the decoration arena of use, it is desirable to have such lamp shades of generally cylindrical polyhedral configuration. Prior lamp shades either could not achieve such generally annular styling or resorted to an unduly large number of plates or panels to achieve a lamp shade configuration simulative of a cylinder or frustum. This contributed to increased cost of manufacture and hence price for the lamp shade.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the invention to provide a novel decorative lamp shade having a plurality of rigid, translucent plates or panels removably mounted on a retainer frame or cage for achieving the desirable advantages alluded to generally hereinabove.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lamp shade of the character described having an open wire frame formed ofa pair of spaced-apart rings or loops connected by a plurality of like generally V-shaped fixture members secured to the inner circumferences of said rings to provide a plurality of circumferentially arranged windows, each pair of adjacent fixture members providing track formations open at the upper end of the frame for convenient insertion and removal of a plate or panel in a window.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lamp shade construction of the character described in which the said plates or panels can be removed readily from the retainer frame after assembly thereon for convenient replacement of said plates in the event of breakage or other defects thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lamp shade construction of the character described in which the assembled lamp shade is of generally cylindrical configuration notwithstanding that the plates or panels are flat and rectangular.

The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing disclosure in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is described in detail and illustrated in the accompanying drawing. It is contemplated that minor variations in structural features and arrangement of parts thereof may occur to the skilled artisan without departing from the scope or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a partially completed lamp shade constructed in accordance with the invention in which one glass plate is illustrated poised for insertion into a window of the retainer frame of the lamp shade.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view ofa V-shaped fixture member used in the construction of the retainer frame of the lamp shade of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary plan view of the upper cage ring of the retainer frame of the lamp shade constructed in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken through the retainer frame along the line H of FIG. I and in the general direction indicated but also showing a plate or panel in position thereon.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken through the retainer frame along the line 55 of FIG. 1 and in the general direction indicated.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT There is illustrated in FIG. 1 a lamp shade retainer frame or cage designated generally 10, consisting of a lower cage ring 12 and an upper cage ring 14 with a plurality oflike V-shaped fixture members l6joining the said rings. The configuration of the retainer frame illustrated is generally that of a cylinder; however, it is to be understood that the frame 10 could be constructed in other practical configurations such as, a frustum.

The lower cage ring 12 includes a fiat, metal band 18 to which there is secured, by weldment or other well known adhesion means, a bottom stop ring 20. The stop ring 20 is formed from a length of wire having a circular cross section and is wrapped completely about the inner circumference of the metal band 18.

Each fixture member 16 is constructed of a substantially V- shaped bracket member 22 and a circular rod 24 which is secured to the apex of the bracket 22. The fixture members 16 are secured between the upper cage ring 14 and the lower cage ring 12 by spot welding the circular rod 24 of each fixture member 16 to each of the cage rings at the upper and lower portions respectively of the metal rod 24. The fixture members are positioned such that the open portion of the V of each bracket 22 faces inwardly of the retainer frame 10. The fixture members 16 are equi-angularly spaced about the inner circumference of the cage rings 12, 14 so that one wing of each of V-shaped member 22 is parallel to and in alignment with the next adjacent wing of the V-shaped member immediately adjacent along the circumference of the cage rings l2, 14. Thus, looking at FIG. 3, the wing 17 of V-shaped member 22 is parallel to and in alignment with the wing 19 of the V-shaped member 22" next adjacent to V-shaped member 22' along the circumference of the upper cage ring 14. The retainer frame 10 is illustrated with eight fixture members 16 in position, but the number of fixture members could be varied in accordance with the desired configuration of the completely assembled lamp shade as discussed hereafter.

The V-shaped fixture members 22 are positioned along the lower cage ring 12 such that the bottom portion of each circular rod 24 abuts the bottom stop ring 20. Affixed to four of the V-shaped members 22 at the upper ends thereof adjacent the upper cage ring 14 are four mounting arms 26 which terminate proximate the center of the retainer frame 10 at a mounting ring 28. The mounting ring 28 facilitates positioning of the lamp shade upon a mounting structure (not shown) of the lamp to be used, such as a table lamp. A different mounting means for the lamp shade can be substituted in a conventional manner dictated by the use intended for it.

The respective pairs of facing wings 17, 19 of the adjacent pair of V-shaped fixture members 22, 22" define a window 40 for the receipt of flat rectangular glass plates or panels 30 which are positioned upon the retainer frame 10. Other materials such as plastic, fiberglass or composites can be used, but reference here is made to glass in a generic sense for a light transmitting material. The glass plates 30 are retained in track or guideways 42 which are open at the upper end 44 adjacent cage ring 14. Thus, there is illustrated in FIG. 1 two such glass plates 30, one of which is being inserted into the window 40 provided between Wings 17 and 19 adjacent the upper cage ring 14 as viewed on the right-hand side of the retainer frame 10. The glass plate 30 can be inserted into the space between the upper and lower cage rings 14, 12 from the exterior of the retainer frame to engage in the guideway 42 provided by the adjacent wings 17, 19 of the adjacent pair of V-shaped members 22", 22". The glass plate 30 is inserted in an upwardly direction until the lower edge of the said plate clears the fiat band 18 of lower cage ring 12, at which time the lower edge of the plate can be swung toward the frame 10 to abut the Wings l7, l9 and lowered into position on the retainer frame 10. Alternatively, the glass plate 30 could be inserted into the window 40 through the top thereof by lowering the plate in guideway 42 at the open upper end 44 of said guideway. The glass plate 30 is prevented from falling through the retainer frame 10 by the bottom stop ring 20, upon which the glass plate 30 rests. The upper and lower cage rings l4, l2 prevent the plates 30 from falling out of the retainer frame 10. The remaining glass plates are then positioned upon the retainer frame 10 in the respective windows 40 defined by the facing wings of each adjacent pair of fixture members 16. Upon insertion of the glass plates 30 in each window 40 of the retainer frame 10, the lamp shade is completed and ready for mounting upon a lamp by mounting ring 28.

The lamp shade constructed in accordance with the invention is of generally cylindrical configuration notwithstanding the glass plates 30 used are fiat, rectangular pieces. It is apparent that the construction can be made in many different shapes, sizes and configurations, and since the area defined by each guideway 42 is uniform, standard size replacement plates could be made available for convenient substitution of any broken or discolored plates which are discovered upon assembly. Removal of plates 30 is accomplished by reversing the insertion procedure discussed above. Also, the frame 10 can be changed in axial dimension or in diametric dimension by varying the size ofthe rings and the fixture members.

It should be noted that the lamp shade resulting from the frame structure 10 can be modified for use as a hanging fixture as well as its illustrated intended use on a table lamp as evidenced by the mounting ring 28. Since such mounting means are conventional, it has been deemed unnecessary to illustrate the various kinds available for different usages of the lamp embodying the invention.

What it is desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A lamp shade for mounting upon a lamp base comprising a retainer frame, said frame including an upper ring member and a lower ring member, a plurality of like fixture members connecting said ring members one to the other, said fixture members being equiangularly spaced around the said ring members to define a plurality of windows and guideways in the retainer frame, each of said fixture members comprising a generally V-shaped bracket member forming a pair of wings and a circular rod secured to the apex of said V-shaped member, one wing ofeach said V-shaped member cooperating with a like wing of the next adjacent V-shaped member to define said guideways in said retainer frame, and a plurality of flat light diffusion members positioned upon said retainer frame within the windows and retained therein by said guideways such that any two adjacent light diffusion members are separated from each other by an upstanding circular rod.

2. A lamp shade as defined in claim 1 in which said lower ring member includes a flat band and a bottom stop ring wrapped completely about the inner surface of the metal band, said V-shaped members being positioned along the inner surface of said lower ring member such that the bottom portion of each circular rod abuts said stop ring.

3. A lamp shade as defined in claim 2 in which said light diffusion members are removably retained upon said retainer frame between said ad acent wings and rest upon said stop ring.

4. A lamp shade as defined in claim 1 in which said retainer frame is of substantially cylindrical configuration.

5. A lamp shade as defined in claim 1 in which said light diffusion members are glass. 

1. A lamp shade for mounting upon a lamp base comprising a retainer frame, said frame including an upper ring member and a lower ring member, a plurality of like fixture members connecting said ring members one to the other, said fixture members being equiangularly spaced around the said ring members to define a plurality of windows and guideways in the retainer frame, each of said fixture members comprising a generally V-shaped bracket member forming a pair of wings and a circular rod secured to the apex of said V-shaped member, one wing of each said V-shaped member cooperating with a like wing of the next adjacent V-shaped member to define said guideways in said retainer frame, and a plurality of flat light diffusion members positioned upon said retainer frame within the windows and retained therein by said guideways such that any two adjacent light diffusion members are separated from each other by an upstanding circular rod.
 2. A lamp shade as defined in claim 1 in which said lower ring member includes a flat band and a bottom stop ring wrapped completely about the inner surface of the metal band, said V-shaped members being positioned along the inner surface of said lower ring member such that the bottom portion of each circular rod abuts said stop ring.
 3. A lamp shade as defined in claim 2 in which said light diffusion members are removably retained upon said retainer frame between said adjacent wings and rest upon said stop ring.
 4. A lamp shade as defined in claim 1 in which said retainer frame is of substantially cylindrical configuration.
 5. A lamp shade as defined in claim 1 in which said light diffusion members are glass. 